Many food items can be prepared successfully and conveniently in a microwave oven. Most commercially available microwavable foods are pre-cooked or pre-baked and are reheated in the microwave oven in a package designed to address the heating needs of the particular food item. For example, items that are desirably browned and/or crisped often are cooked in a package including a susceptor, i.e., a thin layer of microwave energy interactive material (generally less than about 100 angstroms in thickness, for example, from about 60 to about 100 angstroms in thickness, having an optical density of from about 0.15 to about 0.35, for example, about 0.21 to about 0.28) that tends to absorb at least a portion of impinging microwave energy and convert it to thermal energy (i.e., heat) at the interface with the food item.
Although susceptors have been used to prepare numerous pre-cooked food items, susceptors generally have not been successfully used to prepare a food item from a raw dough or batter. Such items present unique challenges because the food item typically expands or changes shape as the dough or batter transforms from a raw state to a cooked or baked state. For example, when raw cookie dough is heated, the dough expands outwardly to an expected final size. Prior to reaching its expected size, the peripheral areas of the susceptor (not in contact with the dough) are prone to overheating. As a result, the edges of the resulting food item may become charred while the center of the food item may still be raw. At the same time, the bottom of the food item overlying the central area of the susceptor may become overheated due to prolonged exposure to the heat generated by the susceptor.
Thus, there is a need for a construct for preparing a food item from a raw dough in a microwave oven, where the construct accommodates the heating requirements of an expanding dough and provides the desired degree of heating, browning, and/or crisping of the resulting food item.